A New Friend for Jyushimatsu
by SakuraNights01
Summary: Feeling lonely during a culture festival, Jyushimatsu gets a new friend to play with. His brothers are less than pleased.
1. Chapter 1

In an effort to bring more culture to Akatsuka Ward, a "world cultural" event was held. It was not so much an event as it was a festival of sorts, complete with games, prizes to win, music, dancing, and food to eat. The festival lasted about seven days, and people from all corners of the world gathered to take part. Akatsuka Ward never felt so lively - or crowded - as it did during that week.

For the Matsuno brothers, this was a fantastic opportunity to have some fun and potentially get a girlfriend. Hell, maybe the festive mood would even be enough to convince Totoko to actually consider dancing with them this time!

Traditionally, for the first couple days of the festival, they stuck together and had as much fun as they could. As the event went on, they would eventually begin to split off into pairs, then by themselves later on.

This time, it was about four days into the festival when they began heading off on their own ways.

Jyushimatsu didn't particularly like being by himself during such a fun time (they should spend time having fun together all week long!), but as it turned out, no one else quite felt the same. Everyone he asked, though they answered in their own unique fashions, still basically said the same thing:

* * *

"I _totally_ would, but I saw a foreign imports stand in the corner that had my name on it, sooo…."

"Ah, I'm so sorry, my little Jyushimatsu, but the music has encaptured my heart with its melodious beauty, and I feel I must seek it out with every inch of my soul. Alas, this is a path that I must walk alone."

"Oh, yeah, but… there's a foreign idol who's in town today, and she's having a meet-and-greet later, and I kinda want to go alone, and…."

"...No."

"Mm, sorry Jyushimatsu Nii-san, they've got a special sale on a popular American clothing brand today that I CANNOT miss this year."

* * *

Well. This wasn't incredibly depressing or anything, not at all. Jyushimatsu was determined not to let this bring down his festive mood. If no one wanted to play with him, then he'd just have to have some fun by himself!

As he and his brothers went their separate ways, Jyushimatsu took a moment to ponder what exactly he wanted to do today. He would like to try some more food, for sure - that Mexican cuisine was actually pretty amazing, in his opinion. Taco Tuesdays needed to be established in the Matsuno household, he decided.

But first, the games! He'd been banned from the Test of Strength machine for some reason or another, but there were plenty of other stands to try out, and lots of cool prizes to win! He was determined to win something REALLY good to show his brothers tonight when they got home. Then maybe they'll decide to hang out with him tomorrow!

What could he do, though? The strength test game had been his specialty, but he wasn't all that great at the others. His brothers all had their own specialties, so it was especially rewarding on the first few days they stuck together.

Deciding which game to try though would be kinda tough. To narrow it down, he decided to look at the prizes first. He just HAD to find that one prize that would make everyone stop and say 'oh my god, what is that?".

It took an hour, perhaps a little more, before he finally found the perfect prize. He'd been in the process of stuffing 4 churros in his mouth at the same time when their eyes met, and he was hit with an epiphany. Yes, that was exactly what they needed: a pet! He knew this the moment his two eyes met all eight eyes of its own.

The game he had to play was the fishing game. Not TOO hard, considering they lived close to a fishing hole, but this was more of Osomatsu's forte. Jyushimatsu was a little too impatient and loud, so the fish were scared away easily. But their perfect future pet was depending on this, so he had to do his very best!

It was a matter of which colored fish he caught within the time limit. There must have been at least 200 fish in the tank, and whereas the majority of them were silver and worth one point, the bright red fish were few in numbers and worth five points each. Another reason why this might be Osomatsu's forte, in particular. Jyushimatsu collected his fishing rod and stepped up to the edge to cast his line.

"FISH! HI!" he shouted with vigor before slapping his sleeved hands over his mouth as he watched the fish begin swimming around frantically. Not a great way to start, but it was polite to at least greet the fish before yanking them out of the water, in his opinion.

He needed to be calm. Yes, he could do this. He could tap into his sextuplet sixth sense and borrow calm feelings from each of his brothers. He could DO this!

Jyushimatsu closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, and, as the ever-present and wide grin on his face melted into a serene smile, everything around him seemed to change. The vendors at the stand suddenly seemed a little sleepy, and even the music playing a few yards over started to quiet down a bit. More importantly, the fish had calmed down exponentially, and were swimming much slower than normal. All the more easier for him to catch, and he kept his eyes closed as he cast his line into the water. It took every ounce of his concentration to maintain this level of calm.

So calm was the environment, that before the timer signaling the end of the game even went off, Jyushimatsu had successfully caught every single fish in the tank. The vendor gaped in disbelief before finding his voice a few seconds later.

"Y-you… every single… but how..?"

Jyushimatsu's concentration broke, and the bizarre power that had taken ahold of the world around him was released. His wide grin returned and he shrugged haplessly.

"I don't know! Ha ha ha!"

The vendor offered to give him the top prize- no, ALL of the prizes at the stand, but Jyushimatsu refused, his eye glued to the only one he thought worthy of this accomplishment. He pointed to the subject of his affections firmly.

"That one! I want that one!"

* * *

 **Brownie points if you can guess what Jyushimatsu's new friend is! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

Right on schedule, each of the Matsuno brothers returned home at the same time, satisfied with today's turnout.

Osomatsu had a slight buzz going, as he'd somehow - amazingly - resisted drinking himself into a drunken stupor, if only so he'd be able to do so at home with all of the alcohol he'd managed to bring back.

Karamatsu had polished up and re-tuned his guitar as well as purchased several new picks to play it with.

Choromatsu couldn't calm down, and kept going on and on about this idol he'd been so eager to meet - he'd managed to get her autograph, and was ecstatic to learn that she was fluent in both English and Japanese.

Ichimatsu wouldn't talk about where he'd been, but it was greatly suspected that he'd spent the entire day playing with the animals at the petting zoo.

Todomatsu had returned with more than two armloads of name brand articles of clothing, stating right there and then that no one was allowed near his stuff.

And Jyushimatsu? Oh, he was quite satisfied with his prize, quite satisfied indeed….

The yellow brother sat in the corner facing the wall with his back to the rest of the room, hunched over. He had taken his seat immediately and hadn't moved an inch, and if that wasn't off-putting enough, he hadn't spoken a word since they had come home. They had all been too excited by their winnings today to have noticed right away, but now it was glaringly obvious.

"Say, did you guys feel… y'know, weird today?" Choromatsu spoke up in between praises for the idol. His question caused the others to pause in their satisfaction as they gave it some thought.

"Now that you mention it, I DID feel kinda strange earlier. Like, super calm or something," Osomatsu commented thoughtfully, slurred words and all. The others nodded in agreement before eyeing Jyushimatsu suspiciously.

"...You… don't think _he_ had something to do with it, right?" Karamatsu looked to Ichimatsu as he spoke, earning a glare in return.

"W-why are you asking me? Again?"

"Well, you ARE always with him, Ichimatsu Nii-san… you probably know him better than we do," Todomatsu added. The conversation gave them an odd sense of deja vu, and they contemplated possibilities silently before Choromatsu couldn't stand it anymore.

"This is ridiculous! I'm just gonna go talk to him!"

The green-clad brother stood from his seat and approached Jyushimatsu with confidence coupled with an air of caution. Hesitantly, he reached out and patted his shoulder gently.

"H-hey, Jyushimatsu. What're you up to over here?"

Jyushimatsu glanced up innocently, then motioned for Choromatsu to lean in closer, whispering in his ear when he did so.

"I'm playing with my prize. I think he's scared, so I'm trying to be quiet."

"Playing with… wait, what?"

The rest of the brothers had perked up considerably by this point, straining to hear what was being said. Jyushimatsu shifted slightly so his older brother could see his prize. There was a moment of silence before Choromatsu shrieked and fell backwards to the ground, scrambling away frantically.

"Oh my god, what is THAT?!"

Ichimatsu hissed when, in his panic, Choromatsu crashed into him. Todomatsu yelped and leapt behind Osomatsu, who sobered up rather impressively at the sudden commotion. Osomatsu and Karamatsu shared a look briefly before the younger brother was shoved forward.

"Alright, Karamatsu, time to prove your worth to the little ones! Go get em', tiger!"

"W-why you-!"

They stilled when laughter from Jyushimatsu could be heard. They turned their attention to the fifth brother, who was now facing them with both sleeved hands clasped together in front of himself.

"You're all being funny! Ha ha!" He slowly pulled his hands apart, revealing a large, furry, brown tarantula. Karamatsu would've reeled back in terror much as his younger brother had done, but Osomatsu's foot against his back prevented him from moving away as his instincts screamed at him to do.

"O-oh m-m-my little J-Jyushimatsu! What a beautiful… wonderful... s-scary, um…" he stammered, pressing as hard as he could into his elder brother's foot.

"Jyushimatsu, what the _fuck_ is that?" Ichimatsu finally demanded. His immediate younger brother giggled in response and stepped closer to the pile of frightened men on the floor, causing them to shift slightly in fear.

"He's our new pet! I won him at the fishing game today!" He carefully placed the spider on his head, his smile growing just a little wider when the arachnid began wiggling its feet atop his hair. "I'm calling him Major Homerun Eight-Legged Matsu!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Is it really necessary to bring it along?" Choromatsu sighed defeatedly. "Personally, I think the streets of Akatsuka are no place for a… well, spider."

Just as Jyushimatsu had wished, all of his brothers had unanimously decided to hang out with him the next day, if only to keep good on their end of the deal. He had wanted to keep Major Homerun Eight-Legged Matsu in the futon with them that night, but didn't when they promised they would stick together the next day if he kept the arachnid in his box. In the corner of the room, far away from them.

Even then, none of the rest of the brothers got a wink of sleep, fearful their new "pet" would somehow escape.

This, however, didn't mean the spider wouldn't be brought along to the festival the next day, much to their disdain. Once again, he was placed on top of Jyushimatsu's head, and seemed to have incredible balance as the yellow matsu skipped around happily. The rest of his brothers walked slowly behind him, ready to split in different directions if the arachnid happened to fall off.

"Hey hey! What should we do first?" Jyushimatsu quickly whipped around to face the brothers. The spider teetered precariously for a moment, and the brothers stepped back cautiously. He pulled it off of his head gently and held it out for the rest to see. "Major Homerun Eight-Legged Matsu wants you guys to decide what we should do!"

There was a full minute of silence before Osomatsu called out "Group huddle!", and the five of them moved out of earshot a short distance away.

"We need to get rid of that thing."

"Osomatsu Nii-san, that's Jyushimatsu Nii-san's new friend! We couldn't!" Todomatsu gasped.

"Come off it, Totty. You were thinking it too."

"Well, yeah, but…"

"And how exactly do you propose we 'get rid of it'? We can't just… take it from him," Choromatsu asked, ignoring the quiet "yeah we could" from Ichimatsu. Karamatsu placed his index finger and thumb on his chin with a smirk.

" _Heh_ … we could tell him it was whisked away by an angel who descended from the heavens! He wouldn't suspect us in the slightest. _Genius!_ "

"Or I could shove it down your throat and tell him you ate it, Shittymatsu," Ichimatsu proposed, his suggestion as serious as anyone else's. His older brother backed down like a kicked puppy, but Osomatsu slapped both Ichimatsu and Karamatsu on the backs roughly.

"You guys are right, though! We need to get rid of it in a way that Jyushimatsu won't think it was us. The question is, _how_?"

No one spoke for a while until Choromatsu had an idea.

"We'll do exactly what we did yesterday!" He deflated slightly at the deadpan expressions around him, and continued, "Look, we'll each show Jyushimatsu what we were doing yesterday, and try to lose it that way. I can take him to the idol crowds and see if he can't… I don't know, get bumped into a few too many times?"

"Yeah… yeah yeah! I see what you're saying!" Osomatsu chimed in. "I'll get him super drunk and convince him to leave it while we go have fun or something!"

"Perhaps I may be able to serenade them to sleep and fling it away?"

"...I'll feed it to the animals."

"Ooh! I'll take him to try on clothes with me and _accidentally_ get it caught in a clothes rack!"

"We need to decide who should try first. We could take him individually while the rest follow without him knowing. If one plan doesn't work for whatever reason, surely another will!" Osomatsu declared.

Jyushimatsu perked up when four of his brothers left while Osomatsu alone approached him after formulating their plan of attack.

"Hey, Jyushi! So, our bros are a bunch of assholes and decided to ditch you. Thankfully, your responsible eldest brother isn't like them, and wants to hang out with you for a bit! What do you say? Wanna have a few drinks with me?"

Jyushimatsu looked ever-so-slightly disheartened at this, but smiled and nodded anyways.

"Okay! Let's go, Osomatsu Nii-san!"


	4. Chapter 4

In their opinion, everything was going according to plan. Osomatsu showed Jyushimatsu the foreign imports stand that he had hung around the day before, while the rest of the brothers spied on them from not too far away, out of their sight.

"He's gonna screw this up."

" _Non non_ , Totty! We must have our utmost faith in him, lest he fail gracelessly."

"You're just concerned because if this doesn't work, then you're going to have to try next."

"Ch-Choromatsu, my _buraza_ … such cruelty…."

"All of you, shut the hell up. I'm trying to hear what's going on."

At Ichimatsu's words, they fell silent and watched as the first and fifth brothers took a seat at the small bar. Osomatsu waved down the bartender, ordered a couple beers, then turned to Jyushimatsu.

"Alright, so tell me more about your little… friend."

"Ah, Major Homerun Eight-Legged Matsu?" he spoke happily as he, once again, plucked the arachnid off of his head and plopped it right onto the counter in front of them. The bartender dropped off their drinks, and Osomatsu snatched his glass and leaned away from the spider, attempting to look casual. "I won him at the fishing game! That's your specialty, right Osomatsu Nii-san?"

"You got that right, buddy! Nobody beats me!" Both brothers chugged their drinks down and Osomatsu quickly ordered another round. "Well, nobody beat me before until you did yesterday, though." Jyushimatsu shook his head immediately, gesturing to the spider.

"No no! Nii-san is still the best! I only won because I really wanted Major Homerun Eight-Legged Matsu!"

"Such a mouthful," Oso tsked, downing his beverage before ordering more for them. "Can we just call him… I dunno, 'Eight Legs' or something?" Jyushimatsu pondered this for a moment, drinking the two beers in front of him as he did, and faced his older brother with a wide grin.

"Eight Legs likes that nickname! Ha ha!" He picked up the tarantula gently and held it out to him. "Hey, that means you like him too, right? You gave him a nickname! You must like him a lot!"

Osomatsu grimaced, ignoring the quiet snickering from one of the stands around the corner behind them. "Oh… yeah, he's… great, Jyushimatsu." He ordered more drinks for them and drank his without another word. They sat together in silence for quite some time, ordering more drinks whenever they finished a glass. Jyushimatsu finally broke the silence after the seventh round or so (or around that much, they stopped keeping count a while ago).

"Wanna pet him?"

The spider being presented about 4 inches from his face, in a word, surprised him quite a bit. Osomatsu nearly choked on his drink and gripped the counter to prevent falling off of the stool.

"Jyushimatsu! Don't… w-wave that thing around so carelessly..! Geez!" It was getting difficult to stay focused on the task at hand, and Oso was stupefied. It was NOT this hard to get Jyushi hammered on a few drinks, so how on earth was he still even slightly sober? Jyushimatsu wiggled one hand out of a sleeve and began petting the tarantula lightly. It relaxed in his hand and suddenly appeared as an innocent creature, rather than a horrifying monstrosity. _Funny how that works_ , he mused.

"It's easy, Nii-san, just pet him like this. He's really soft, too."

He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the spider now. He'd also be lying if he said he wasn't curious about how soft the little guy was now. Sure, it looked scary, but up close it actually was almost….

 _...Fuck it._

Osomatsu reached out and, hesitantly, petted the tarantula. It simply sat in Jyushi's hand and did nothing. No quick movements, no frightening noises, it just… sat there. Jyushimatsu smiled widely and joined his brother as he pet him.

"He likes it! Osomatsu Nii-san, you're his friend now, too!"

The older brother retracted his hand and returned to his beer, an odd grin on his face.

"I guess… Eight Legs isn't TOO bad. He's not gonna win us any points with the chicks, though."

"Nope!"

They both shared a laugh and ordered more drinks, enjoying each other's company and talking about anything and everything. Eventually, Osomatsu fell asleep at the counter, and Jyushimatsu, who was somehow still able to speak coherently and walk in a straight line, hopped off the bar stool and began wandering off with his spider.

The remaining Matsuno brothers watched in disbelief, and the awful realization that this was going to be much harder than they thought finally dawned on them.


	5. Chapter 5

In the truest form of the word, Karamatsu was absolutely terrified.

Most unbecoming of a man such as himself, he might say, but it took every ounce of his being to keep the "cool" facade up in the spider's presence. After Osomatsu's failure, the stakes had grown higher, and the pressure of the task at hand was almost unbearable. The brothers had tailed Jyushimatsu for a little while, then unceremoniously shoved Karamatsu out of their hiding place with a dismissive "good luck" when they had found a good viewpoint.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

He forced himself to take a few calming breaths, reciting Shakespeare in an effort to build himself up again.

" _What a piece of work is a man… How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty… In form and moving, how express and admirable… In action, how like an angel… in apprehension, how like a-_ "

"Hi Karamatsu Nii-san!"

" _-GOD! ..._ Oh, Jyushimatsu, hello…" his gaze turned upwards at the arachnid atop his little brother's head. "And hello… Major Homerun Eight-Legged Matsu-san." Jyushimatsu shook his head quickly, smile growing a little brighter with each turn.

"No, his nickname is Eight Legs now! Osomatsu Nii-san named him!" He reached up and pulled the spider off his head and hugged it to his chest happily.

"...Is that so..?"

Despite the bizarre scene before him - his sweet little brother and a horrific little creature together - Karamatsu couldn't help the smile that found its way to his own face. It was clear how dearly Jyushi cared for his pet.

Yet, with determination, he still agreed with the rest of their brothers that it needed to go.

"Jyushimatsu, would you care to accompany me to the music stand? The picks I purchased yesterday appear to be in disagreement with my guitar, and they simply refuse to work together!" He placed a hand on his forehead for dramatic effect, "'tis no less than a tragedy! That my music shan't be displayed for all the world to enjoy!"

"Painful."

"Eh?"

"Okay, let's go together then!"

Karamatsu allowed Jyushimatsu to lead the way, himself walking nearly 10 feet behind him. If it were up to him, he might've just allowed himself to blend in with the crowd and just say he lost him. But the rest of his brothers were depending on him, and he was determined not to let them down!

They arrived at the music stand quickly, but Karamatsu found a problem with his idea. The stand was abnormally busy, meaning it would be nearly impossible to lull his brother to sleep here. Actually - he glanced about the festival grounds briefly - it was _very_ busy, likely since there were only about 2 days left before the event came to an end. For a moment, he considered the neck of his own guitar… it was long and slim, and could easily be used to fling the spider somewhere amongst the hustle and bustle of the crowds, compared to just grabbing it and throwing it. As this idea began to form in his mind, Jyushimatsu turned to him again, an oddly serious look on his face.

"Karamatsu Nii-san, are you afraid?"

"E-excuse-!" he sputtered in disbelief. At this point in his life, he wouldn't be surprised if someone told him Jyushimatsu could read minds. "Ah… ahahaha! Not in the slightest, _buraza_! It's unfitting for a cool guy like myself! ...Though I have to wonder what makes you think this way."

He regretted the words the moment they left his lips, and Jyushimatsu, in his own strange Jyushimatsu way, appeared extremely unimpressed.

"You've always been afraid of them."

" _Them?_ "

"Insects, bugs, scary-looking things," he held up Eight Legs carefully, "but _he's_ not a bug, Nii-san! He's an arachnid! Very different, different!"

Karamatsu smirked; leave it to Jyushimatsu to know little facts here and there about the smaller creatures that populated the world. "It doesn't make it any less scary, though," he pointed out, a little more normalcy to his tone. No point in trying to lie now, but the shame still ate away at him nonetheless. A period of silence passed between them before Jyushimatsu turned and began searching through a collection of guitar picks behind him. He selected several different, brightly colored ones and laid them out randomly on the countertop.

"Karamatsu Nii-san, watch this! Eight Legs will pick one out for you!"

Curiously, he watched as the spider was placed on the counter, where it scuttled around a little bit, paused several times, then promptly sat down on a shiny blue and green-speckled pick. Jyushi took both in his hands and gave the pick to Karamatsu.

"Play a song for Eight Legs! Then maybe you won't be so scared!"

"I wish you wouldn't say that so loud," he huffed, but set the guitar in his hands anyways. _Play a song about the spider, huh? Interesting…_ a far-fetched idea, but how could he possibly say 'no' to such a hopeful face? He began strumming the guitar gently, watching his small audience as he picked up a light, cheery tune.

" _Our family is quite large_

 _Outnumbered by none_

 _Yes, our family is large_

 _We were eight, but now plus one."_

Jyushimatsu giggled as he watched in awe. Somehow, Eight Legs seemed to be watching him too.

" _Our plus one is strange,_

 _Of this you can bet,_

 _He's scary, has brought change,_

 _But he's our dear new pet."_

His younger brother chimed in with little harmonies and words at random intervals. It was so natural, singing together like they always did, despite the extra company.

" _Eight Legs, it seems, is here to stay,_

' _Cuz no matter what we say in the end,_

 _No matter what's been done, at the end of the day,_

 _He will always be Jyushimatsu's friend."_

"Oh! You added me to it! Thank you, Karamatsu Nii-san!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed excitedly after hearing the last verse. He placed a hand to his chin contemplatively before continuing, "but maybe change 'Jyushimatsu's' to 'our' at the last part!" When Karamatsu raised an eyebrow, he gestured to the spider, now sleeping peacefully in his hands. "Your song made him so happy! You guys are friends now! Friends!"

 _Would you look at that… I managed to lull at least one of them to sleep after all…._

The touching moment nearly overwhelmed him, but Karamatsu quickly regained composure, striking a pose in the process.

" _Heh_ … it would seem my _absolute charm_ is irresistible! Eight Legs, perhaps, holds the title as my first _Karamatsu Boy_ , _non_?"

"Painful, Karamatsu Nii-san."

"I am aware."

With that, Karamatsu purchased the special pick, selected and gifted to him by Jyushimatsu and Eight Legs, then excused himself to go check on Osomatsu. Jyushimatsu bid him adieu as well, and, without waking Eight Legs, strolled off to see what the commotion near the music stand was all about.

A hand clapped down on Choromatsu's shoulder. "Choromatsu Nii-san~! You're the most sensible of all of us, aren't you~?" Todomatsu's sickeningly sweet voice drifted in the air behind him. The air grew dark and tense as the hand on his shoulder tightened its grip slightly. "You may very well be our last hope. Don't screw this up, okay~?" Choromatsu gulped nervously.

 _This probably won't end well._


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for my sudden absence! I meant to update this as soon as Anime Expo was over, but got busy with household errands and such! So here it is, Choromatsu's turn to rid their household of their new nemesis! Enjoy!**

* * *

Each day of the festival, a different idol or idol group from different parts of the world would perform. He had to admit, he wasn't really planning on attending this idol performance in particular; a Canadian girl with a gaudy, gothic theme wasn't really his thing, but for his and his brothers' sakes, he was willing to suck it up and take one for the team.

Psychadella was the name of the idol performing this evening, and her theme very much reminded Choromatsu of Halloween. Cobwebs, black cats with glowing yellow eyes, demons… he wasn't entirely sure which audience she was appealing for, but it seemed to be working to her favor regardless.

And now, he found himself dazed in the middle of what appeared to be a rave of some sort. Bright colors alit the dancefloor, a fog machine filled the air (was that even allowed here?), and a gaggle of party animals danced in every direction you turned.

Simply put, Choromatsu was WAY beyond his zone of comfort, and his younger brother had practically waltzed right in.

He hadn't completely lost sight of the fifth brother, but he was standing quite a ways away from him, with several partygoers blocking his path. It would be pointless to call out to him considering how noisy everything was right now, so he slowly but surely began pushing, nudging, and squeezing his way through the crowd.

"Jyushimatsu!" he called out only when he was within earshot. He waved his arms helplessly, trapped between two people who wouldn't seem to budge.

"Choromatsu Nii-san!" Jyushimatsu replied happily, skipping over and taking both arms in each hand and tugging. Choromatsu tumbled out with a yelp, groaning after landing facedown on the ground. After a second or two, he slowly stood up and dusted himself off as Jyushimatsu jumped about excitedly in front of him. "Hey, look! She's an idol you like, right?"

Choromatsu glanced up to the performer: a cute girl who sang and spoke in full English (notably, a translator stood nearby) and dressed in dark, Lolita-style clothing. A cosplayer? Strange, but he was really in no place to judge anyone's fashion choices besides Karamatsu's. He turned his gaze back to Jyushi, who stared intensely in anticipation. Choromatsu sighed and shook his head.

"No, Jyushimatsu, not really. I like Nyaa-chan the best, remember? I prefer 'cute' over 'cool'. Psychadella is a little too…"

 _Weird? Crazy? Scary?_

"...Edgy," he chose to say and immediately regretted his less than kind answer. All idols were beautiful in his heart, after all. Jyushimatsu only shrugged and accepted it without question though, bless his naive little heart.

The music blasted away and Psychadella sang her heart out happily. It would help if Choromatsu's English weren't so rusty, and he found it somewhat difficult to follow along. It was catchy, admittedly, but nowhere near his beloved Nyaa-chan. As the song came to an end and the crowd started cheering, Jyushimatsu suddenly began making a break for the stage. Choromatsu nearly tackled him as he leapt forward and grabbed one of his sleeves.

"Jyushimatsu, what are you doing?"

"There are no spiders! Look!"

"... Huh…" he glanced about for a second, "I guess you're right."

Sure enough, the decorations all over the stage had everything ghoulish and dreary, but no spiders in sight. Oddly enough, when he thought of Halloween, spiders were one of the first things that came to mind. Maybe she didn't like them? Or maybe she had arachnophobia? If that were the case, it would be an awful idea to show Eight Legs to her.

These ideas came to Choromatsu too late, however, as he realized Jyushimatsu had broken out of his grasp and was currently climbing on-stage, said spider perfectly balanced on his head.

"J-Jyushimatsu, no!" he grasped at his hair, contemplating whether or not it would be reasonable to follow him up there. Naturally, he decided that no, it wouldn't be a good idea to climb up on stage uninvited, but the decision, it seemed, was made for him as Jyushimatsu hauled him up with him.

Psychadella was a bit alarmed to say the least, but stopped security before they could reach them. Adventurous and inquisitive, it seemed she was more interested in finding out what was going on than her own safety.

She was either incredibly fearless or incredibly dim, and Choromatsu wasn't sure which one scared him more.

"Excuse me miss! Where are all the spiders?" Jyushimatsu boldly asked. The idol appeared stunned for a second before calling her translator over. The interpreter spoke to her quietly, and her face lit up with understanding immediately.

Her response was relayed to them that a rival idol used black widows mainly for their decor, and she didn't want it to appear as though she were copying them. Choromatsu, satisfied with the answer, thanked her and was ready to leave, but Jyushimatsu wasn't about to drop the subject.

"Use tarantulas! They're soft and friendly! And cute, too! Look!" He said as he held Eight Legs up, allowing Psychadella to have a closer look at him. In that moment, Eight Legs wiggled his front legs in a rather cute manner, as though he'd received some telepathic command from the fifth brother. A big smile grew on her face, delighted with him. But she then posed a question that gave them pause: whether or not she could keep Eight Legs as inspiration.

This was a perfect, golden opportunity to get rid of it once and for all; Eight Legs would be far away from them, out of their hands!

"...Sorry, but Eight Legs belongs to my brother. He's not up for grabs," Choromatsu heard himself say. For some reason or another, he couldn't let Eight Legs be taken so easily like that, and a part of him almost felt... protective. _Why?_

Psychadella appeared visibly disappointed, but smiled again and asked for their names. She turned to the crowd and shouted into her microphone for all to hear:

"Thank you for my new inspiration, Jyushimatsu, Choromatsu, and Eight Legs!"

It was the first time Choromatsu had been allowed to stay onstage with an idol throughout the rest of the concert. Jyushimatsu and Eight Legs danced about to the music onstage with them. After the concert ended, groups of people approached and immediately struck up a conversation with Choromatsu, who waved goodbye to his younger brother to indulge in his shared love of idols with the other fans.

Jyushimatsu skipped merrily to the center of the fairgrounds, stopping to pull the spider off of his head again.

"Hey hey, Eight Legs! What should we do now?"

 **-o-o-o-**

A dark aura flared off of Ichimatsu for a moment before he rose from his kneeling position, startling Todomatsu.

"Tch. Jyushimatsu's gotta learn that a pest is a pest, no matter what."


End file.
